Monday, 14 August 2017

Six Things To Think About If You Won't Be Hiring A Wedding Planner*

*This is a collaborative post*

With so many decisions to make when it comes to planning a wedding, as well as lots of logistical and timing issues, it is easy to see why many people choose to hire a wedding planner. A wedding planner can reduce stress, there is no lie, as a lot of the logistics are dealt with by them. But let’s face it, that can be pretty expensive if you’re looking to get married on a budget. So if you’re planning your wedding out on your own, but want to pull it off with military precision, then with the right mindset, you can certainly do just that. Here are some tips and tricks for wedding planning if you’re not planning on hiring a professional.

One of the first things that you will be doing is setting a budget to work on. It will give you an indicator of the kind of wedding that you could pull off, as well as where the wedding could be. But one main factor in the kind of wedding that you will have is the number of guests that you will include. Cutting the guest list is an easy way to make your budget stretch further. So think carefully with your other half and your families, about who should or shouldn’t be there. If things are going to be quite tight, then keep the guest list quite small and simple, and you’ll save quite a lot of money.

Think Before Hiring Friends or Family

I think that the above statement can be true in many ways, but is never more true than when it comes to planning a wedding. If you have people that are emotionally attached to the wedding, then they can lack the judgment that they may need to do their job well. You also don't want them to take over when you have only hired them to provide one service, such as baking the cake, for instance. So just think twice before you ask a friend to do the photos, for instance. In many cases, it doesn’t work out. It might cost more, but having someone come in to just do the photographs and then leave, can make a big difference. Plus, it can be hard to tell a professional what you are after sometimes. It would be even harder with a friend or family, especially if you’re not happy with what has been done so far. So that is definitely something to think about.

From the start, there will be lots of planning to think about. You will need to think about a rough timeline that you’re after and some general ideas about the kind of wedding that you want. However, if you’re going for a summer wedding, for example, you’ll be up against a lot of competition looking at similar venues and vendors. So be flexible and have the option of a few dates if things are already booked up when you come to book them. But if you can get in there quite quickly, with an idea of what you want, you could be the first to book. Time, and letting it drag, can be the enemy of wedding planning. You do have to do some things quite quickly in order to get the best deals. So having ideas all ready to run with, is a great idea.

Think About What You Can Do Yourself

To save money, as well as costs, there will be lots of things that you can look to do yourself. From the wedding invitations to the favors, you can get things together yourself. If you’re not the most creative, then it might be simpler to get a professional in. But it is definitely worth looking into, to see what kinds of savings you could make. If you people you can delegate task too, then that is great. Just make sure that you’re clear on what you do and don’t want. But for some people, writing out an order of service, name cards, or working on table centerpieces, can be quite therapeutic. So think what might work best for you, and don’t be ‘afraid’ of doing it yourself. There are plenty of brides that do!

One of the last things that you want when it comes to your wedding is hiring a DJ that cracks some inappropriate jokes or hiring a caterer who doesn’t serve warm food. So before you commit to any vendor for your wedding, make sure that you get references and reviews to read through. A professional wedding planner would have a list of suitable people in their arsenal, so it will just take some due diligence when you’re playing the role as wedding planner. Then everything can run smoothly, and you can look back on your wedding day with fondness.

Think About the Practicality of the Day

On the day itself, you don’t want to be playing the role of wedding planner, the role of the bride will be the one for you! So ahead of the big day, you need to think about the challenges of the day itself, as well as the practicalities of the day. Just small things like who will put the place cards out, or who will take the flowers from the church to the reception? Who will announce you into the reception and who will tell the band that you’ve arrived? Think through the order of the day and then make notes of who you have asked to do each thing. Some things will be taken care of by the venue. But others you’ll need to ask friends and family members to take care of.

All in all, it is important to put the day in perspective and remember why you are having the wedding. It is to get married to your love, and the wedding day is only one day. Of course, you want to have happy memories of it, but try not to sweat the small stuff too much.

Do you have any wedding planning tips of your own to share?

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All About Me!

I'm Aimee, 28 years old, and still waiting for my Hogwarts acceptance letter. I dream of turning my house into a library; one bookshelf at a time. If not found with nose in a book, please provide a book.